this is it.

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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” mark twain

TIPUTINI

My last weekend on the Equator was spent at Tiputini Biodiversity Station (http://www.usfq.edu.ec/tiputini) in the Amazon Rainforest with about 40 other international students from USFQ.  It was an awesome trip.  I’d say only second to the Galapagos.

I woke up early Friday morning and headed to the airport.  Our flight was delayed because it was too foggy for the planes to fly.  We finally made it to a town called Coca around 11 am.  We then took a shuttle bus to a dock.  It had already been a long day and the traveling was just beginning.  We took a 2-hour motor canoe ride down Río Coca.  When we got to shore, we took a 2-hour bus ride through the oil facilities in Yasuní.  The big controversy in Ecuador right now is the oil in the province Yasuní where Tiputini is.  President Correa wants to exploit the rainforest for oil.  If he does so he will receive a lot of money to improve Ecuador’s economy… he will also be destroying the rainforest and the homes of thousands of indigenous people.  It’s a sticky situation.  After our bus ride, we reached Río Tiputini and took another 2-hour boat ride to the biodiversity station.  By that time my butt was hurting like it had never hurt before, but we had made it.  The station is absolutely beautiful.  Most of the time the electricity is cut off.  USFQ culinary students prepared the food, so that was nice.  Friday night we went over some station rules, ate dinner, played a hilarious game of finger fútbol, and then went to bed early.  Who knew sitting all day long could be so tiring.

Saturday we ate breakfast at 6:30 and then a group of 10 of us: Me, Carly, Leigh Anne, Jess, Rachel, Caitlin, Laura, David, Josh, and Max (the power team) set off hiking with our guide Santiago.  We walked through the jungle a while until we got to this VERY tall observatory tower.  We climbed the thousands of stairs and stood quietly up in the tower for about an hour.  We saw howler monkeys, cuckoo birds, toucans, etc. and I even spotted a poison dart frog.  That impressed Santiago.  We continued hiking and spotted some macaws and lots of cool bugs.  We stopped at a tree and there were a whole bunch of teeny ants that lived inside that we ate.  They tasted like lemons!  After a lunch break, we went on another hike.  Part of the hike was spent canoeing around a lake.  There were 11 in the group and we squeezed into a 7-person canoe.  Our canoe was literally an inch out of water and any slight movement would cause the canoe to tip underwater.  Carly and I were freaking out!  It didn’t help that we were right by Santiago and he kept telling us about all the anacondas, electric fish, piranhas, etc. that were in the water.  Needless to say, I didn’t really notice much wildlife.  I was too busy thinking about how close I was to dying.  Later that night, we all went on a night float down Rio Tiputini.  It was cool, but unfortunately some people in the group didn’t really care about being considerate and were being realllllyyy loud, so we didn’t see many animals.  We did see a Caiman, an animal that resembles a crocodile.  That was neat-o yo.

Before lunch on Sunday we went on a river float down Tiputini again.  We saw some cute squirrel monkeys playing in the trees and everyone got to swim.  An interesting thing about rivers in the Amazon is that you can’t pee in them.  Sorry if this grosses you out…. There is a type of fish that will swim up in you if you use the bathroom.  It was entertaining/disturbing to see everyone in the group try to use the bathroom off the side conspicuously.  It didn’t really work.  After lunch we went on a hike to bridges in the canopy.  The group hooked up to “harnesses” and climbed up.  We walked over the bridges and watched howler monkeys, cool bugs, and beautiful birds.  Then we watched the sun set over the canopy.  It was truly wonderful.  That night, we went on a night hike and saw SO many insects!  Lots of spiders (including a Tarantula and a Wolf Spider- the most poisonous spider in the world) and other cool bugs and we saw a hog-like creature, but I can’t remember its name.

Monday we set off on the long trek back to Quito.  I missed class Monday, but the rest of my last week in Ecuador was very busy. I had a Lit essay due Tuesday and my final for International Relations, Culture final and Conversation final on Wednesday and an International Relations essay due, and then my Lit final on Thursday.  Wednesday night I went out for Mexican food as a last meal/Cinco de Mayo celebration with friends.  Friday I got my ear pierced, bought some last minute gifts, and spent some time with my sweet friends Jess, Leigh Anne, Kristin, and my host parents.  It was tougher leaving Quito last Friday night than I thought, but it has been great being home.  Reflections to come…

to my dearest Lauren.

one of my greatest friends and confidantes , Lauren Rebekah Alewine, returns to North Carolina today from 3 months in Asia.  i have missed her greatly and i am so proud of her. Lauren, I can’t wait to see you SO SOON!

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yiiii yeeee!!!!

Hola de Ecuador ayiyiyiyi!!!

I have not written in a while because nothing really even close to the coolness level of the Galápagos has occurred.  Sorry.  I have had lots of work (and I still do) and I hate it.  Study abroad has really spoiled my work ethic and I am going to have a rude awakening when classes start in the fall…

Let’s see. Let’s see. Fun things… Last weekend, Ann Marie and I went and saw Date Night. Loved it.  It rained the first 20 days of April here in Quito (Abril Aguas Mil…) Didn’t love it.  I had 2 presentations this past week.  One was for Ecuadorian Culture and I talked about the Galápagos.  I also wore my shirt that I bought in the Galápagos during the presentation.  I looked like a major tool. Shoot.  This past Thursday night Kristin and Carly came over and we made Cobbler/Mountain Pie with peaches and strawberries for my host family. Actually, mainly for us.  It was really fun and it turned out very deliciously.  The best part was that it overflowed a little and the oven caught on fire (nothing major).  But I said to Pato “¿Pato, está bien si hay fuego azul en el horno?”  That means “Pato, is it okay if there is blue fire in the oven?” It kind of freaked him out for a second, but don’t worry, we’re all still alive. So then we ordered pizza, ate our delicious mountain pie, watched a movie, and played on Photo Booth.  Friday I hung out with Ann Marie.  First, we went to el Museo Guayasamin that shows all the work of Ecuador’s most famous artist, Oswaldo Guayasamin.  I really liked it.  A few pictures will be posted on Facebook. We also went to the Artisan’s Market so Ann Marie could buy her last gifts before she goes home next week.  Saturday I had an International Relations class/cookout.  We all went to Raul’s house in Tumbaco (about an hour from my house in Quito), had class, and then ate (/mainly drank).  We all contributed $7 and all we had was some meat, bread, and lettuce.  I was really looking forward to seeing what an Ecuadorian Parillada (BBQ) was like and I was rather disappointed.  So yeah, it was fun, but only kind of.  Everyone was drinking a lot.  And some other gringas in the class asked me to help explain Flip Cup- a classic American college drinking game. I had no idea how to play.  But I participated and earned acceptance from the drunkards. Phew…. But really, that lifestyle (of just drinking a lot and often) is not for me and it kind of makes me sad to witness.  I left the cookout after a few hours and before things got too crazy.  Then that night (Saturday) I went to see Dear John with Carly, Ann Marie, Leigh Anne, Jess, and Maria.  Pretty good movie.  Better than the book.  Afterwards, Carly, Ann Marie, and I shared a taxi home.  Best taxi ride yet. We know our way around Quito pretty well by now and we know how much taxis from Cinemark should cost…. los taxistas can’t fool us.  We turned down 2 taxis who were charging too much.  We were bargaining with a taxi driver, trying to go down from $5 to $4.  While we were talking, lots of drunk Ecuadorians on a Chiva were yelling at us to get on with them (chanting “subate! subate!”)  We told the taxi driver we would sing for him and he agreed to only make us pay $4. Yesssss.  So of course we sang Taylor Swift. And then the National Anthem. It was awesome.  Thank God for Jorge.  The greatest taxista en el mundo.

So I have 10ish days left here in Quito. It is sad, but I honestly don’t have much time to be sad.  I have 2 essays due then I am going to Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon (http://www.usfq.edu.ec/tiputini/) next weekend and I have 4 finals that following week.  I will miss Quito though.  I will miss my host parents.  They are so kind and hilarious.  I will miss the peaceful and beautiful bus ride through the Andes every morning.  I will miss this weather.  I will miss people practicing their English with me and me practicing my Spanish.   I will miss Pinguino ice cream.  I will miss $3 movie tickets and pirated DVDs.  I will miss EFC and Pan de Vida.  I will miss the great friends I’ve made.  I will miss this beautiful country. BUT I am out of my mind excited to be back in North Carolina and see everyone!  Friday, May 7th I head home!

Spanish word/saying of the day: “Mande?”  What Ecuadorians say instead of “huh?” or “what?”

so hard to go back to Quito.

I am back from Las Islas Galápagos and I am going to go so far as to say that it is the highlight of my time in Ecuador thus far. I have 4 more weeks of class and unfortunately some final assignments, so I am sort of busy with work. I will just hit on the best parts of the trip. Pictures will be posted on Facebook shortly.

Saturday- I got to the airport early Saturday morning. It is incredible how much easier it is to fly in Ecuador. We can bring liquids on the plane and walk in and out of the airport whenever we feel like it. Around 50 people from USFQ went and when we landed on Isla Baltra we all loaded right away onto buses. We took bus-boat-bus to Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galápagos, on Isla Santa Cruz. Apparently Tom Cruise and Leo DiCaprio were vacationing in their yachts in the port of Puerto Ayora while we were there. Oh my gosh! Right as the bus pulled up into town I saw sea lions! They are so cute, but not as friendly on land as I hoped. Carly, Ann Marie, Kristin, and I did get some pictures though. Then we explored the rest of the town and hit the beach for a little while.

Sunday (Easter)- We woke up early and went to Tortuga Bay. Tortuga Bay is a beach about 45 minutes (walking) from town, but definitely vale la pena. The most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The water is turquoise and the sand is white. I love it. We stayed at the beach for a few hours, but had to head back to Puerto Ayora in order to take a boat to Isla Isabela. The boat ride was a little less than 3 hours and most people tried to sleep to avoid seasickness. I felt fine though, so I sat on the boat reading my Bible and having my own personal Easter service. I told someone I was spending my Easter enjoying the life Jesus has given me. And that is so true. This past week showed me just how blessed I am and how great God is. On a completely random note, a little girl threw up on the boat and the wind blew it back on Julio while he was trying to sleep. It was great and gross. We got to Puerto Villamil on Isabela and just chilled. The town was teeny and right on the beach. I liked it better than Puerto Ayora because it didn’t really feel like a tourist town, just a laidback village by the sea.

Monday- Since we technically were in the Galápagos as a volcanology class, we visited Volcán Chico. It was pretty cool. Just mad hot. Also, it rained on the 2 hour walk back and my precious mizuno tennis shoes got covered in mud. Don’t worry. I took them to be cleaned. When we got back to Puerto Villamil we just chilled on the beach. I laid in my eno and worked on some crossword puzzles while little Galapagueño children played around me. For dinner we ate at The Oasis and I ordered Camaron al Ajillo. Or Shrimp in Garlic White Wine Sauce. Superb.

Tuesday- I snorkeled all day! First the whole group paid 10 dollars to get taken by boat to a spot where we snorkeled. Nothing too exciting. I did see some parrotfish, angelfish, and a ray! And then we went on a little hike where we saw iguanas and sea lions. I do indeed love sea lions. We got back to the port and Carly and I paid 3 more dollars for snorkel gear. We went off on our own and it was so fun! We snorkeled for a while and then the current pulled us into the port amidst the boats and sea lions. We climbed out of the water onto the rocks in our snorkel gear and all the fishermen just looked at us like we were idiots. Then we walked back around and got in the water again. We saw a huge ray, starfish, sea urchins, corral, and a sea turtle just resting! We watched him for about 30 minutes. SO cool. Later that night, Kristin and I played volleyball on the beach with some Galapagueños. And I ate Camaron al Ajillo again for dinner.

Wednesday- I woke up reallllly early and took a boat back to Santa Cruz. We hit up Tortuga Bay again and then went to a place called Las Grietas. It was just a high place to jump from into water. I didn’t jump off the highest point because I am a pansy that hates heights. I do not regret my decision.

Thursday- We took a boat about 2 hours to Isla Floreana. Our tour guide was a German named Karen who didn’t wear a bra. Awkward. But she really knew her stuff. We went on a hike through the highlands where we had some great views and saw tortoises and cool ruins. Then we ate lunch and went snorkeling. The first place we snorkeled had nothing to see ☹ The second place we went snorkeling at was right by a sea lion hang out. This HUGE daddy sea lion and his babies were just playing all around us, so we just floated there and watched them. So good. On the boat ride back, 5 dolphins followed us and played in our wake. I sure do love the ocean.

Friday- We went to Tortuga Bay again. We rented kayaks really cheap in a lagoon and it was so awesome! Kristin and I shared a kayak and we saw literally 30 sea turtles that would just swim right by us. It was so great. Then we chilled at the beach and took some fun pictures. On our walk back down the beach we stopped and played a game of futbol, 5v5. I would say I did pretty well for not having played since Dream Camps Soccer in 5th grade, but unfortunately my team lost 9-10. That night I ate my first quesadilla since coming to Ecuador. Hallelujah!

Saturday- Our last day in the Galapagos was going to be spent at a beach about an hour from Puerto Ayora, but that didn’t happen. Kristin went to the hospital in the middle of the night because she was dehydrated and I took Carly the next morning. They were both fine, but we just chilled in town the whole day. Ann Marie and I did some shopping and watched the pelicans and a sea lion pester the fishermen while they rested. Then Carly, Ann Marie, and I went to the pier to watch the sea lions and relax in the shade. We ate dinner and delicious chocolate cake with some friends and then got ready to leave.

I loved everything about the Galápagos and I hope I will be able to return some day.

That is all.

quito goes emo.

Hello folks!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and that is because nothing too exciting has happened.  I have stayed in Quito the past two weeks exploring and saving up money for the Galapagos!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of exploring Quito some with Ann Marie and Kristin.  Friday, Ann Marie and I walked around Parque Carolina because that park is HUGE and we haven’t seen all of it.  We played on a playground, ate Pinguino- the best ice cream in Ecuador, and then went to the Ecuador Museum of Natural Science.  I was expecting it to be like the natural science museum in Durham, but no, no, no.  We paid $1 and tagged along with all the little Ecuadorians on their field trip.   The museum had a couple stuffed animals, some dead butterflies and shells behind glass, and lots of rocks.  How disappointing… but nothing shy of what I expected.  Saturday I met up with Ann Marie and Kristin in La Mariscal because Ann Marie wanted to get her ear pierced and Kristin wanted to get her nose pierced.  I feel like 6 piercings is enough for me, and plus, it was a tad sketchy, so I was just there for moral support.  Everything went well for both of them; it just freaked me out to see people come in and get their eyebrow or their lip or some other really painful place pierced and then just leave, like it wasn’t a big deal.  I also didn’t like the drilling sound of the tattoo needle that was going on in the background the whole time :/  After getting pierced, the 3 of us and Leonidas went up to the TeleferiQo.  It is a ski lift type thing that takes you up to the top of Pichincha, the volcano I can see from my bedroom window.  We saw some cool views and took some good pictures, but my favorite part of the whole trip was when we paid- Kristin, Ann Marie, and I are considered nationals here, so we paid half as much as all the other white people waiting in line J Byaah!!!

My Sundays are pretty routine here and I really like it.  I woke up, went to church, and then went to Pan de Vida.  After Pan de Vida, Leigh Anne and I walked to the mall, QuiCentro, to eat lunch.  I always get Sbarro’s ziti.  Then I head over to the Magic Bean, a small café down the road that has wireless.  I did homework and skyped with some people.  After that I headed home and got ready for the week.  It was a good and restful Sunday.

Since then I have just been doing the school thing.  Tuesday was my last day of Volcanology, so I had a lot of work due for that.  I also had a midterm for International Relations last night.  We watched a movie, Lions for Lambs, and today I have had to answer questions and submit them via email.  The other thing that happened this week is that our Galapagos trip became an official school field trip.  Theo initially wanted it to just be 25ish people from our class, but about 60 people are signed up to go.  The international office at USFQ found out and they kind of freaked out.  So now it’s official.  I’m not really sure what that means except we all had to sign a waiver and we can’t get drunk or smoke marijuana on the Galapagos.  Shoot.  Theo had a meeting yesterday to go over the trip itinerary and I am so pumped.  I will be there Saturday, the 3^rd, through Sunday, the 11^th!  We are going to explore volcanoes a couple of days, of course, do lots of snorkeling, and jump off some cliffs.  Apparently where we are going snorkeling, Floreana, is the best place to snorkel IN THE WORLD and “we will be pushing sea turtles out of the way as we swim.”  I’ll take that.  We will also hang out at Tortuga Bay some; the prettiest beach IN THE WORLD.  I don’t know if what Theo tells me is true, but he is making this trip out to be SiCk!&@#!

Now for some random thoughts (ha, I’m sure you care)…  Tuesday night I watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and it really upset me.  It’s about 2 boys who live during the Holocaust.  One is the son of a Nazi soldier and the other is a Jew living in a concentration camp.  It’s not a movie of hope or happiness and it really tore me up (but I do recommend it).  I don’t understand why there is so much suffering and evil in the world.  I mean, I know it is because of Original Sin, but it just sucks!  In Ecuador I have seen a LOT of sad things: way too many child laborers, stray dogs everywhere, families begging or lying for food, etc. The saddest thing I saw was the weekend of the Model UN Conference.  We had just gotten off the Chiva and we were all standing on the street.  A young boy came up to Jess & I and begged us to buy the gum and cigarettes he was selling.  He told us he was only 9 years old.  He goes to school during the day and works every night until 5 am!  His eyes were red and bloodshot because he was exhausted.  It broke my heart.  And there is SO much suffering like this all over the world!  It disgusts me how selfish I am, how much I have, and how indifferent I am to all the evil that is going on all around me.  BUT WHAT CAN I DO?  People try to make themselves feel better by “helping”… buying TOMS, sponsoring a child, wearing an Africa shirt with a peace sign on it, or going on a week-long mission trip.  BIG WHOOP!  Children all over the world are being forced to work tough jobs or serve as soldiers.  3.5 million people die every year because they don’t have clean water.  People are literally starving at this very moment.  And we think that our money is solving all these problems?!?!  BUT WHAT CAN I DO?  I know God is in control and I’m not always going to understand why things happen, but does that mean it’s okay for me to just sit around and do nothing?   I don’t think so.  Y’all can pray that the Lord will show me a real, tangible way to help because this problem has been on my heart for a long time.  Jesus’ ministry was service-oriented.  He would feed people or heal them and then share the Good News. That’s how it should be! Physical needs should be met, not just spiritual needs.  There is a poem by Oscar Romero that really sums up how I feel, is humbling, and comforts me in my insignificance:

“We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.”

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” –Isaiah 55:8-9

Spanish word/saying of the day: “¡Dios te bendiga!”- God bless you!

Top 5 Noteworthy Happenings of the Week

1) I participated in my first and last Model UN conference.- I was at school all weekend representing Egypt in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). I sat in Salón Azul for literally 22 hours listening to speeches and saving the world from nuclear terrorism. The highlight of the long, tiring weekend was the Chiva Saturday night. A Chiva is an open-air bus. It drove the whole International Relations group around Quito for a couple hours blasting Ecuadorian music and providing unlimited alcohol. The group definitely didn’t know what to do about my sober, spastic dancing…

2) I purchased my plane tickets to the Galapagos Islands.- First thing Monday morning I went to Manzana Travel Agency and FINALLY confirmed my trip to the Galapagos. I am going with my volcanology class plus others in order to get some group deals. In total I think there will be 55 of us, but we don’t necessarily have to stick together. I will be there April 3-10 swimming with sharks, sunbathing with sea lions, and playing with penguins. I. Am. So. Excited.

3) I showed a taxi driver who’s boss.- Thursday night I went over to Kristin’s house to watch a movie with her, her friend Callie, Ann Marie, and Carly. I told the taxi driver to take us to calle (street) San Gabriel and he said okay. Turns out he had no idea where it was and drove us all over the place, running up the taximeter. He tried to convince us that 3 different streets were all San Gabriel. Finally, I said “Señor, sabes donde está?” (Sir, do you know where it is?) He said “sí” and then walkied somebody to ask for directions. Then he muttered under his breath that we were making him drive all over the place. “Nosotras?!” (Us?!) I said. We made it to Kristin’s house after an hour of driving. The driver tried to charge us 8 dollars for a ride that should only cost 4. We gave him six dollars and we told him it wasn’t our fault he didn’t know where he was going. Then he said I told him the wrong address. I said, “Señor, te dije la CALLE San Gabriel cuando entré el taxi.” (Sir, I told you the street San Gabriel when I got in the taxi.) Finally, he left. It felt good to finally stand up for all us gringas who get ripped off by the taxi drivers of Quito!

4) I ziplined through the jungle for the second time. - Yesterday I went to the Mindo for the day with Kristin, Leigh Anne, and Callie. We couldn’t stay for long because Callie was going back to Texas early this morning, so we went to Mindo just to zipline. It was as fun as I remembered. Also, one of the sketchy zipline boys remembered me from the last visit. So that was awkward…

5) I baked (or watched others bake….) good ole American desserts.- On the way back from Mindo, Carly called and asked Leigh Anne and I if we wanted to play Nerts that night. Apparently, she really asked if we wanted to make desserts, so that’s fun too. We went to our friend David’s house to bake with Carly, Ann Marie, David, Andrew, and Allan. We listened to music, talked about our bucket lists, and made this delicious brownie, cookie, cookie dough concoction and then ate it. Good times. Fat times.

Spanish word/saying of the day: “Los extraño!”- I miss y’all!